Nurses to stage third A&E walkout

EMERGENCY department nurses at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital will today stage another walkout — the third in three weeks — to protest at what they claim are overcrowded and dangerous conditions at the unit.

The four-hour stoppage will commence at 8.30am.

Nurses who fail to report for duty as rostered will not be paid.

The HSE appealed to the nurses to call off the action and said contingency plans are in place. It said all emergencies and seriously ill patients will be treated at the emergency department, but urged those with minor problems to attend their GP.

Health Minister James Reilly angered nurses when he stated in the Dáil last week they had crossed the line with a protest, which he described as “unsafe, unsound and unwarranted which leads to more danger to patients and not less”.

Dr Reilly said the action was outside the terms of the Croke Park agreement.

Mary Fogarty, Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation industrial relations officer, challenged the minister to point where in the agreement it was required of nurses to cover up risks, safety issues and quality standards. “The people of the mid-west should be very proud of the nurses at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital for putting the patient safety issues into the public arena.

“Nurses have taken a stand on behalf of patients, that the limit has been reached in Limerick and the safety of patients cannot be left to deteriorate further which will happen if left un-addressed,” she said.